Trivia: Ewan McGregor rocketed to fame over a short period of time, thanks to a brilliant turn as a heroin addict in Trainspotting and the good fortune of being selected by George Lucas and co. to portray the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace. Because Menace arrived amid concomitant fanfare and massive prerelease expectations in early summer 1999, McGregor's appearance in the new trilogy drew a whirlwind of media attention and elicited a series of roles in additional box-office blockbusters, launching the then 28-year-old actor into megastardom. Born on March 31, 1971, in the Scottish town of Crieff, on the southern edge of the Highlands, McGregor joined the Perth Repertory Theatre after high school graduation and subsequently trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His studies at Guildhall led to a key role in Dennis Potter's 1993 Lipstick on Your Collar, a made-for-television musical comedy set during the Suez Crisis. That same year, McGregor received first billing in the British television miniseries Scarlet & Black, an adaptation of Henri Beyle Stendhal's 1830 period novel about a young social climber in post-Napoleonic, late 19th century Europe. McGregor made a well-pedigreed cinematic debut, with a bit part in Bill Forsyth's episodic American drama Being Human (1993), starring Robin Williams. The picture, however, undeservedly flopped and closed almost as soon as it opened, rendering McGregor's contribution ineffectual. The actor continued to turn up on television on both sides of the Atlantic until late 1996; some of his more notable work during this period includes his turn as a beleaguered gunman in an episode of ER and the Cold War episode of Tales From the Crypt, in which he plays a vampiric thief. McGregor landed his cinematic breakthrough role with Danny Boyle's noirish, heavily stylized Shallow Grave (1994). In that film, he essays the role of Alex, a journalist who finds himself in a horrendous position after a murder. He appeared in Carl Prechezer's little-seen British surfing parable Blue Juice (1995) and Peter Greenaway's The Pillow Book (1996) before losing almost 30 pounds and shaving his head for his turn as heroin addict Mark Renton in Trainspotting, his sophomore collaboration with Danny Boyle, which gained the attention of critics and audiences worldwide. McGregor then took a 180-degree turn (and projected unflagging versatility) by portraying Frank Churchill in the elegant historical comedy Emma (1996).McGregor continued to work at an impressive pace after Emma, with appearances in Brassed Off (1996), Nightwatch (1998), The Serpent's Kiss (1997), and yet another project with Danny Boyle, the 1997 fantasy A Life Less Ordinary. (The latter film concludes on a raffish note, with an animated puppet of Ewan McGregor dressed in a kilt that bears the McGregor family tartan). In 1998, the actor signed to appear in the Star Wars prequels. (Lucas' decision to hire McGregor for Obi-Wan in the Star Wars prequels was hardly capricious; his uncle, Denis Lawson, had appeared as Wedge Antilles, decades earlier, in the original three installments of the series.) That same year, McGregor contributed a fine performance to Todd Haynes' Velvet Goldmine, with his portrayal of an iconoclastic, Iggy Pop-like singer during the 1970s glam rock era.As the new millennium dawned, McGregor had a full slate of projects before him, including several for his own production shingle, Natural Nylon, co-founded by McGregor and fellow actors Jude Law, Sean Pertwee, Sadie Frost, and fellow Trainspotter Jonny Lee Miller. Pat Murphy's biopic Nora (2000, co-produced by Wim Wenders' banner Road Movies Filmproduktion and by Metropolitan pictures), represented one of the first films to emerge from this production house. As a dramatization of the real-life relationship between James Joyce and Nora Barnacle, Nora stars McGregor as Joyce and Susan Lynch as the eponymous Nora. The actor stayed in period costume for his other film that year, Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge. Set in 1899 Paris, it stars McGregor as a young poet who becomes enmeshed in the city's sex, drugs, and cancan scene and embarks on a tumultuous relationship with a courtesan (Nicole Kidman). Following a turn in Black Hawk Down (2001), McGregor reprised his role as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the eagerly anticipated Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones. 2003 saw McGregor taking advantage of an odd quirk. Years prior, a magazine had commented on the uncanny resemblance between the young Scotch actor and the legendary Albert Finney as a young man. In dire need of a twenty- or thirty-something to portray Finney's younger self for his fantasy Big Fish, Tim Burton cast McGregor in the role; he fit the bill with something close to utter perfection. In that same year's erotic drama Young Adam (directed by David Mackenzie and originally screened at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival), McGregor plays one of two barge workers unlucky enough to dredge up the nearly naked corpse of a young woman. The young actor also starred alongside Renée Zellweger, who, fresh from the success of Chicago, played the unlikely love interest of McGregor's preening, sexist Catcher Block in Down With Love, director Peyton Reed's homage to '60s romantic comedies. McGregor returned to the role of Obie-Wan Kenobi once again in 2005 for Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith, the final film in George Lucas' epic saga. That same year, he lent his voice to the computer-animated family film Robots and starred opposite Scarlett Johansson in Michael Bay's big-budget sci-fi actioner The Island. He also secured the lead role of Sam Foster, a psychiatrist attempting to locate a suicidal patient, in Finding Neverland director Marc Forster's follow-up to that earlier hit, the mindbender Stay. Though that picture died a quick death at the box office, McGregor returned the following year as Ian Rider, a secret agent whose assassination sparks the adventure of a lifetime for his young nephew, in Geoffrey Sax's Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker. The film only had a limited run in the U.S., and was panned by critics.In late 2006, McGregor once again demonstrated his crossover appeal with turns in two much artier films: Scenes of a Sexual Nature and Miss Potter. The former -- Ed Blum's directorial debut, from a script by Aschlin Ditta -- is an ensemble piece about the illusions and realities in the relationships of seven British couples over the course of an afternoon on Hampstead Heath. The latter -- director Chris Noonan's long-awaited follow-up to his 1995 hit Babe -- is a biopic on the life of the much-loved children's author Beatrix Potter (played by Renée Zellweger). McGregor portrays Norman, her editor and paramour.McGregor was next cast in Marcel Langenegger's 2007 thriller The Tourist as Jonathan, an accountant who meets his dream girl at a local strip club but immediately becomes the prime suspect when the woman vanishes, and is accused of a multimillion-dollar theft. Over the coming years, McGregor would appear in a number of successful films, like Incendiary, Cassandra's Dream, I Love You, Phillip Morris, Amelia, Beginners, and Haywire.McGregor married French-born production designer Eve Mavrakis in 1995, with whom he has three children.

Trivia: Although he is best known for his role as anal-retentive psychiatrist extraordinaire Niles Crane on the celebrated sitcom Frasier, David Hyde Pierce has also done considerable work on the stage and screen. Fair, birdlike, and bearing an uncanny resemblance to Frasier co-star Kelsey Grammer, Pierce is one of the entertainment business' finest purveyors of a certain kind of blue-blooded neuroticism, and, in the eyes of some viewers, has even gone so far as to make insecurity perversely sexy.Born in Saratoga Springs, New York, on April 3, 1959, Pierce was raised in what he has described as a "very run-of-the-mill, middle-class" household. When he was eight, he began taking piano lessons, and he decided to pursue a career as a concert pianist. He continued to train until he got to Yale University, where he realized that he was better suited to the acting profession. Following graduation, Pierce moved to New York and did a brief stint as a tie salesman at Bloomingdale's before being cast in a Broadway play. Although the production was a flop, Pierce continued to work on the stage in New York and Chicago for several years and was eventually cast as a suicidal congressman on the short-lived sitcom The Powers That Be in 1992. His work on the show, coupled with his resemblance to Kelsey Grammer, led to his casting on Frasier the following year.Frasier proved to be the turning point in Pierce's career. His portrayal of Niles, aside from winning him a slew of awards, including an Emmy, also provided a number of opportunities for the actor on the big screen. Pierce, who had been acting sporadically in films since the early '80s, could be seen in supporting roles in such '90s films as Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Nixon (1995), in which he played John Dean, and the animated A Bug's Life (1998), for which he provided the voice of a stick insect.As the first decade of the 21st century opened, Pierce began appearing in more and more feature films, selecting an eclectic array of roles that utitlized his strengths without resorting to rehashing the Niles Crane character. Diverse in their genre and theme, the projects also ranged in their levels of success and acclaim. The 2000 comedy Isn't She Great was an abysmal failure, while the indie films Wet Hot American Summer and Full Frontal both left audiences and critics fiercely split. Pierce also continued to flex his voice skills in the animated features Osmosis Jones and Treasure Planet.One of Pierce's best-received roles came in 2003, when he costarred in the tongue-in-cheek comedy Down With Love. While not much of a box-office hit, the film managed to charm many critics with its wall-to-wall homages to 1960s sex-comedies. A year later, Pierce again showed up sans-body, providing the voice of Abe Sapien in the comic-book adaptation Hellboy. He reunited with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola's animated comic adaptation The Amazing Screw-On Head to voice the role of the dreaded Emperor Zombie in 2006, and joined the cast of The Perfect Host in 2010 for a leading role as Warwick Wilson, whose genteel façade hides a deep rage and mental instability.

Trivia: A lovely and talented actress with a knack for both comedy and drama, Sarah Paulson was born in Tampa, FL, on December 17, 1975. Her family relocated to Manhattan, where she attended both the LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Paulson made her professional debut at the age of 12 in an off-Broadway production of Amerlia Again, and she worked extensively on the New York stage after completing her education. She made here television debut in a 1994 episode of the series Law & Order, and, in 1995, was cast as Merlyn Temple, a dead woman who can communicate with her living brother, on the fantasy series American Gothic; while the show only ran for a year, it developed a devoted cult following. Following American Gothic's cancellation, Paulson made her feature-film debut in the thriller Levitation, and, in 1999, she appeared in Garry Marshall's comedy drama The Other Sister. She returned to episodic television that same year as Elisa Cronkite on the romantic drama series Jack and Jill, which ran two seasons. During the show's run, she landed a supporting role in the Mel Gibson/Helen Hunt vehicle What Women Want, and after Jack and Jill ran its course, Paulson was cast in the lead role of the short-lived situation comedy Leap of Faith. She later had a supporting role in the 2003 romantic comedy Down With Love.

Trivia: Who knew gluing a plastic arm to your head, wearing false teeth, and drooling on yourself to act as the love child of Angelina Jolie and her brother could be so damn funny? That character (even given a name: Kerplixik), along with several others, has led comedian Rachel Dratch through her uproarious tenure on Saturday Night Live. Born February 22, 1966, Dratch grew up in Lexington, MA; her mother was the director of a nonprofit agency and her father, a radiologist. Dratch majored in Drama at Dartmouth College and graduated in 1989. She spent six months doing a children's theater tour and then moved to Chicago, where she signed up for classes at ImprovOlympic and spent years working on her skills. After four years on the main stage of Chicago's Second City troupe -- the fertile comedic ground that sprouted Horatio Sanz, Tina Fey, and several other well-known names in the SNL family tree -- she was ready for prime time. Since her start on Saturday Night Live in 1999, Dratch's versatility has helped her build quite a list of memorable characters. From her Denise to Jimmy Fallon's horny Bostonian boyfriend, Sully, to her wispy little Calista Flockhart impression, Dratch easily goes from nerd (à la Sheldon on "Wake Up Wakefield") to sensuous "luv-uh" Virginia to Will Ferrell's Professor Klarvin. In 2000, she and Fey put on their two-woman show, Dratch & Fey, at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York. And in 2001, a short film that Dratch wrote, directed, and performed (The Vagina Monologues Monologues, also featuring Fey and SNL performer Amy Poehler) premiered at the New York Comedy Film Festival. She has appeared in the movie Down With Love (with Ewan McGregor and Renée Zellweger) and the independent film The Hebrew Hammer (with Adam Goldberg). Her television appearances include Late Night with Conan O'Brien, CBS' King of Queens, and Third Watch. Dratch and Fey left SNL after the 2005-2006 season to try their luck on a primetime slot with 30 Rock, a sitcom about a television writer (played by Fey) and her supporting cast. In August 2010, Dratch gave birth to a son, Eli. She continued to show up here and there, including reprising her role of Debbie Downer on SNL for the infamous Betty White episode, appearing on 30 Rock's live episode in October 2010, and inFunny or Die Presents skits on HBO. She went on to take small supporting roles in the comedies Just Go With It (2011) and That's My Boy (2012).

Trivia: Born Leonard Rosenberg, Randall moved to New York at age 19 and studied theater with Sanford Meisner and at the Neighborhood Playhouse. His stage debut was in The Circle of Chalk (1941). From 1942-46 he served with the U.S. Army, following which he acted on radio and TV. He began appearing onscreen in 1957 and was a fairly busy film actor through the mid '60s. He is best known for his work on TV, particularly for his portrayal of fastidious Felix Unger on the sitcom "The Odd Couple." He also starred or costarred in the series "One Man's Family," "Mr. Peepers," "The Tony Randall Show," and "Love, Sidney." He frequently appears on TV talk shows, where he is witty, erudite, and urbane. In 1991 he created the National Actors Theater, a repertory company; its purpose is to bring star-filled classic plays to broad-based audiences at low prices.

Trivia: Starred opposite Callie Thorne in the 1996 independent comedy Ed's Next Move. Wrote and directed the 1997 short film The Language of Love. Made TV debut in a 1997 episode of Party of Five. Garnered an ensemble SAG Award nomination for Good Night and Good Luck (2005).

Trivia: Began studying theater at the age of 12 at the Seattle Children's Theater. Was Washington State Debate Champion in Dramatic Interpretation for two years. Worked as a hot-tar roofer between college semesters. Received the Jack Nicholson and James A. Doolittle Awards while attending USC for achievements in acting.

Trivia: Jeri Lynn Ryan is the stunning actress adored by science fiction fans for her portrayal of the Borg-human Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager. She was born in Munich, Germany, but was raised on several military bases all over the world. Settling on Illinois for college, she joined a sorority and competed in beauty pageants, making it all the way to the Miss America Pageant in 1990. She started her acting career with TV movies (Co-Ed Call Girl) and made several guest appearances on shows like Matlock and Melrose Place. In 1997, she gained a reoccurring role on the short-lived NBC series Dark Skies and joined the cast of Voyager. She has since gained a loyal fan base for this role, which requires a costume so tight it takes nearly an hour to get into it. In 2001, she moved on to the role of Ronnie Cooke on the Fox drama Boston Public, a role creator David E. Kelley penned specifically for her. After that show's demise, Ryan popped up as a guest on a number of series, notably The O.C. as a con artist, but the drama she faced on screen was nothing compared to her tumultuous personal life. When her former husband, Jack Ryan, ran for the Illinois state senate in 2004, details of their 1999 divorce became public, including her allegations that he had tried to pressure her into visiting sex clubs. But the scandal failed to tarnish the actress' reputation, and in 2006 she landed a regular role as a district attorney on Shark. Once that show ended, she maintained her presence on TV with guest roles on Law & Order: SVU, Leverage and Psych, before joining the main cast of the new show Body of Proof. She made her feature film breakthrough in Men Cry Bullets, followed by starring roles in The Last Man and Down With Love.

Trivia: Yugoslavian-born Ivana Milicevic emigrated to the United States with her family in 1983, when she was nine years old. Raised in Michigan, the stunning young woman began modeling while she was still in high school and shortly after graduating, she began professional acting with minor appearances on TV shows like Seinfeld and in films like Jerry Maguire. As she racked up roles on her resumé, she began to score bigger parts, on series such as Love Monkey and in the James Bond film Casino Royale.

Trivia: Australian actress Melissa George was born in Perth on August 6, 1976, the second of four children. As a child, she developed an interest in dancing and began studying jazz, tap, ballet, and modern dance at the age of seven. George's enthusiasm for dance eventually evolved into a passion for roller skating, and, after skating competitively in Australia, she represented her nation in several international events. At 16, George left skating behind when she quit school and began exploring the world of modeling; she was soon named Western Australia's Teenage Model of the Year. As a result of this honor, she auditioned for a role in the popular Australian soap opera Home and Away, and, in 1993, was cast as Angel Brooks. George's performance won her a sizable following in both Australia and Great Britain, but, after three years with the series, she left to pursue other projects. After appearing in several made-for-TV movies (and posing in the Aussie edition of Playboy), the actress landed a small role in the sci-fi thriller Dark City, and was cast as the female lead in an offbeat television pilot, Hollyweird, which, unfortunately, failed to sell. After a brief appearance in Steven Soderbergh's The Limey (as Terence Stamp's ill-fated daughter), George landed her first significant American role in the teen comedy Sugar & Spice, in which she played Cleo, a cheerleader-turned-criminal who has an unquenchable enthusiasm for Conan O'Brien; she also played a small but important role as mob-connected ingénue Camilla Rhodes in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, and appeared in the pilot of HBO's short-lived series adaptation of L.A. Confidential. In 2001, George was cast opposite John Stamos in the leading roles of the television series Thieves; despite positive reviews, however, the series lasted only three months. She got another chance to prove her mettle on American television in 2003, when she was cast in an American version of the popular British sitcom Coupling. Unfortunately, she only got to act in an unaired version of the pilot episode before her part was recast. The show failed anyway and George rebounded quickly, landing a prominent role in the 2003-2004 season of the popular spy series Alias as Lauren Reed, the new wife of Agent Vaughn (Michael Vartan) and romantic rival of Sydney Bristow (series star Jennifer Garner).After appearing the 2005 reboot of The Amityville Horror, George co-starred with Clive Owen and Jennifer Anniston in the psychological thriller Derailed (also 2005). The actress took another turn for the grisly Turistas (2006) to play part of an unlucky group destined to involuntarily donate their organs to a mad doctor. She found more success for her role in Music Within (2007), an inspirational biopic starring George as the free-spirited girlfriend of the film's subject, celebrated public speaker Richard Pimentel (Ron Livingstone). In 2008 she played an anesthesiologist who became romantically interested in her psychiatrist on the first season of HBO's lauded series In Treatment, and the same year was cast in 11 episodes of the fifth season of Grey's Anatomy. In 2011 she could be seen in the UK thriller A Lonely Place to Die, the TV movie Bag of Bones and on the Australian TV series The Slap. In 2012, she starred in the Cinemax series Hunter, and in 2013, joined CBS drama The Good Wife in a recurring role. She starred in the Australian miniseries The Slap in 2012, and reprised her role in the American remake in 2015.

Trivia: Published a novel titled Quick Shots of False Hope (1995). Has been featured in comedy specials on networks including Comedy Central and HBO. Said in a Boston Herald interview that she dislikes the term "ladies' night" at comedy clubs because it implies that women are "working with a handicap." Has created/appeared in several popular videos for Web-comedy site Atom, including 2011's "American Heroine."

Trivia: A Saturday Night Live cast member who received his grooming in the familiar Groundlings comedy breeding ground, a few of funnyman Chris Parnell's favorite parody subjects include Tom Brokow in addition to his frightfully funny Eminem impression.Born and raised in Memphis, TN, Parnell took to acting and comedy after his family relocated to nearby Germantown and he got involved with the Poplar Pike Playhouse. Constantly auditioning for nearly every production while taking multiple acting and music classes, Parnell attended the North Carolina School of Arts after graduation and later worked at Houston's Alley Theater after obtaining his B.F.A. Later teaching acting, film, and video back at Germantown High before moving to Los Angeles, the future SNL star worked at FAO Schwartz while taking classes at the Groundlings theater and acting in small roles in commercials and television sitcoms. Parnell was flown to New York for an SNL audition after he was spotted by a talent scout from the show, joining the cast in the fall of 1999 alongside fellow freshmen Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sanz. After his feature debut in 1996's Jingle All the Way, Parnell could be seen on the big screen in fellow SNL cast member Tim Meadows' The Ladies Man in 2000. He had a part in Anchorman, but he became part of SNL history when he starred along with Andy Samberg in the digital short Lazy Sunday, often cited as the first bit from the show to go viral. He had a recurring role as the seriously demented Dr. Spaceman on 30 Rock, and teamed with Samberg again for the comedy Hot Rod.He appeared in the music biopic spoof Walk Hard, and was in the comedy Labor Pains. In 2010 he was cast in the animated series Archer, providing the voice for Cyril Figgis, and two years later he appeared in three of the biggest comedies of the year including The Dictator, 21 Jump Street, and The Five-Year Engagement.

Trivia: The raspy-voiced actress who endeared herself to television viewers as the wife of Abe Vigoda's character in the popular sitcom Barney Miller (as well as the short-lived spin-off Fish), Florence Stanley found most of her success on the small screen. A Chicago native and graduate of Northwestern University, Stanley moved to New York City shortly after finishing college and kicked off an acting career on Broadway. Stanley followed roles in Fiddler on the Roof and The Glass Menagerie with stints at both the Manhattan Theater Club and the New York Shakespeare Festival. In June 1950, she made her television debut in an episode of the popular drama series Studio One; years later, she loaned her already distinct voice to the '60s series Dark Shadows (as the sobbing Josette). Although subsequent appearances in The Day of the Dolphin (1973) and The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1974) found her feature career blossoming, her role in Barney Miller gave Stanley the most exposure she had received to date. She took a ten-year hiatus from the screen after Fish, triumphantly returning to TV in Night Court and Mr. Belvedere in 1987. Stanley returned to feature work the same year with a small role in the Shelley Long/Bette Midler comedy Outrageous Fortune. The comeback provided her career with something of a second wind, and the 1990s found the veteran actress increasingly busy with roles in such high-profile features as Trapped in Paradise (1994), A Goofy Movie (1995), and Bulworth (1998). Stanley never entirely abandoned the small screen, and the late '90s and early 2000s found her alternating between TV roles in Malcolm in the Middle and NYPD Blue, with feature work in Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), its small-screen spin-off, and Down With Love (2003). Behind the scenes, the longtime actress was also a member of the League of Professional Theater Women as well as the motion picture and television academies. Stanley died of complications from a stroke October 3, 2003, in Los Angeles. She was 79.

Trivia: Actress Lynn Collins first caught audience's attention in 2002 when she was cast as Assistant D.A.Jessica Manning on the series Haunted. More prominent roles would follow in movies like The Lake House and Al Pacino's The Merchant of Venice, and Collins would soon score another major TV role, playing Dawn Green on the series True Blood in 2008.

Trivia: Was athletic as a kid and teen; once hit three home runs in an All-Star game and later pitched a 10-inning no-hitter with 20 strikeouts. Played football at Brown University. Loved movies so much he decided to take an acting class in college and immediately knew acting was his calling. Early TV roles included guest spots on The Equalizer, Spenser: For Hire and Kate & Allie before landing pivotal roles in movies Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) and The Shawshank Redemption (1994). Appeared in Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) as Romulan commander Suran. Best known for playing the Presidential Chief of Staff on 24 and the principal on Everybody Hates Chris. Co-founded theatrical production company the Eumenides Group. Is an acclaimed singer and has recorded four CDs; tours with the Jude Ciccolella Band.

Trivia: Handsome American actor Zachary Quinto clocked in as an almost constant small-screen presence from the early 2000s onward. A number of his roles constituted extremely memorable ones: he was chilling as Sylar, the mutant psychopath with a flair for mutilating his victims' gray matter, in the superhero-themed NBC fantasy-drama Heroes, and (on a wholly different note) lent an undercurrent of necessary gravitas to his portrayal of God (among other actors playing the role) on the cult favorite Joan of Arcadia. Quinto also helped federal agent Jack Bauer prevent the spread of a deadly plague in season three of the blockbuster Fox drama 24, but left the series thereafter. In 2007, Quinto signed for his first major cinematic role, and a plum one at that: a portrayal of a young Mr. Spock in the 11th installment of the popular franchise, released to U.S. theaters in May 2009 and directed by Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams. The film was a smash hit, bringing Quinto much public attention. In 2011 he had a major role in the Oscar-nominated drama Margin Call, and he joined the cast of American Horror Story that same year.

Trivia: Until she headlined Jerry Maguire opposite Tom Cruise in late 1996, Renée Zellweger claimed extremely limited public recognition. Though Zellweger essayed several key roles before Maguire, the vulnerability and versatility that the actress exhibited as Cruise's (long undeclared) love interest in Cameron Crowe's seriocomedy netted much-deserved praise from critics and audiences alike. Though the Academy passed her over when that year's Oscar nominations rolled around, she received several other laurels for her work in Maguire, including the title of Best Breakthrough Performer by the National Board of Review.Born April 25th, 1969, the willowy, strawberry blonde Zellweger began life in Katy, TX, a small town on the outskirts of Houston. The town was so small that it possessed neither cable television nor a movie theater. As a result, Zellweger reportedly did not see her first art film until she was a student at the University of Texas in Austin. Her career at U.T. was an exceptional one; a regular on the Dean's List, she graduated a year early with a B.A. in Radio, Film, and Television. While in college, Zellweger took an acting class and discovered a knack for performing; following graduation, she made her feature-film debut with a bit part in Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused (1993). She then landed a role playing a whacked-out waitress in Love and a .45 (1994), for which she won her first Independent Spirit Award nomination; she won a second nomination for The Whole Wide World (1996), earning additional acclaim at various film festivals.Following the tremendous success of Jerry Maguire, Zellweger went on to prove herself as a versatile actress able to play roles ranging from an ambitious journalist (who temporarily shelves her career to care for her mother) in One True Thing (1998) to a rebellious Hassidic Jew in Boaz Yakin's A Price Above Rubies (1998). She then exhibited a capacity for romantic comedy in The Bachelor (1999), starring as the long-suffering girlfriend of a commitment-phobic Chris O'Donnell. Zellweger's second role as a deeply confused soap opera fanatic in Neil LaBute's offbeat crime comedy Nurse Betty won her the Best Actress in a Comedy Award at the 2000 Golden Globes. Nominated for yet another Golden Globe the following year for her memorable performance in Bridget Jones' Diary (2001), that same role also earned Zellweger her maiden Oscar nod. The following few years found Zellweger's leading lady status growing and numerous lucrative film offers flowing in, and the release of White Oleander (2002) the starlet received numerous positive reviews despite the film's lackluster performance. Later that same year, Zellweger was on top of the world when she received rave reviews for her role in Chicago. Based on the popular Broadway musical of the same name, director Rob Marshall's flashy cinematic extravaganza received nearly unanimous praise accompanied by multiple Academy Award nominations, including a second Best Actress in a Leading Role nod to Ms. Zellweger for her lively performance.Zellweger lost the award bid to Nicole Kidman, and then teamed up with that actress for Anthony Minghella's epic Cold Mountain. The performance netted Zellweger her third Oscar nomination, and on February 29, 2004, her losing streak ended as she took home the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Attempting to keep up the momentum, Zellweger then returned to the character that earned her her first Oscar nod, starring in the sequel to Bridget Jones's Diary, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004). Unfortunately, that outing (directed by To Wong Foo helmer Beeban Kidron) failed to draw the critical acclaim of its predecessor and was widely greeted with public apathy in the States, but in the final analysis, it grossed nearly as much as the premier outing (with a massive overseas take). After the second Bridget Jones installment, Zellweger's screen activity decrescendoed somewhat, but she placed a heightened emphasis on more offbeat and unusual roles, including a portrayal of children's author Beatrix Potter in the Weinstein Company outing Miss Potter (2006), and a throwback role to the days of classic Hollywood screwball comedy, as the romantic lead of George Clooney and John Krasinski in the period sports outing Leatherheads (2008). The actress lent her voice to the animated children's fantasy Monsters vs. Aliens, and will reprise her role as Bridget Jones for Bridget Jones' Baby. Off-camera, Zellweger has been romantically linked to funnyman Jim Carrey and to rocker Jack White, of The White Stripes. She was married very briefly to Kenny Chesney; the two received an annulment in less than a year.